News Archive 2017

Elias Muhanna in The New Yorker, "Mashrou’ Leila, the biggest alt-rock band in the Middle East, was formed in 2008 by several students at the American University of Beirut. The group’s early songs—ironic, grungy jams about the nettlesome oppression of bourgeois Lebanese society—made them famous in Beirut’s indie scene."

On Monday, senior fellow Timothy Edgar joined Dan Yorke State of Mind for a discussion on the replacement of Reince Priebus with General John F. Kelly as Whitehouse Chief of Staff as well as the external image the United States is currently projecting.

Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science, commented on the recent political alliance between Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, essentially dashing hopes of a mounted front against India's BJP party.

Across cultures, women are bombarded with different messages about what's ok to eat during pregnancy. Emily Oster, professor of economics and author of "Expecting Better," said she didn't find any evidence that would suggest drinking alcohol would harm a fetus.

A new paper co-authored by Brown economist John Friedman examines the key findings of the Equality of Opportunity Project, which exploits a unique data set to assess the contributions that individual colleges make to intergenerational social mobility.

This feature on the origins of "beef lynchings" and the political turmoil that has ensued in India after the death of a Muslim boy includes a perspective by Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science.

Anthropologist Sarah Besky in The Hindu, "Understanding Gorkhaland requires understanding its underlying histories. In many ways, the Gorkhas of Darjeeling have yet to taste the liberation of India’s Independence."

Wendy Schiller commented on Gov. Gina Raimondo's re-election chances after a tumultuous week that saw the governor featured in the New York Times, but also mentioned in poll tagging her as one of the "most unpopular governors" in the country.

Jessaca Leinaweaver in TRTWorld, "International adoptions have decreased annually from their global apex in 2004, when 22,989 children were adopted internationally by US parents, according to a new report from the US State Department. Last year, 5,372 visas were issued; a mere 23 percent of the total from 2004."

Public Policy Fellow Marc Dunkleman in the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture's Hedgehog Review, "The demands of democratic government—the fact that power flowed up from the grassroots—prompted similarly situated strangers to get to know one another in pursuit of the common good."

Michael Kennedy joined Dan to analyze the deterioration of the current iteration of the American Health Care Act, Donald Trump Jr.’s recent email dump, and to question the stability of democracy in 2017.

Sociologist Michael Kennedy in RIOT Material, "Trump’s political foolishness is not meant to clarify a problem; it is designed to mark enemies so that his supporters can enjoy a righteousness regardless of evidence to the contrary."